The Lamka Consumers’ Club has submitted a memorandum to the Governor of Manipur, through the Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur, urging the state government to provide the public with the option to choose between physical smartcard-based Driving Licenses (DL) and Registration Certificates (RC), or the newly introduced electronic formats—e-DL and e-RC. The request highlights the concerns and practical challenges faced by residents in the hill districts, particularly Churachandpur.
The memorandum noted that the Transport Department has discontinued the issuance of physical smartcards following the introduction of digital formats. While this move aligns with broader digitisation goals, the Club pointed out that many citizens in the hill districts prefer physical cards due to poor internet connectivity, frequent disruptions, power blackouts, and vulnerability of paper documents to damage during the rainy season. Senior citizens and those without smartphones are especially disadvantaged.
The Club cited a Transport Department office memorandum dated January 17, 2025, based on a MoRTH notification from November 2024, which was not available on the Ministry’s website, raising transparency concerns. A subsequent order from the outgoing Director of the Transport Department reportedly contradicted the earlier assurance that physical cards would remain available on payment of a fee.
In their representation, the Club referenced past efforts by the Joint Students’ Body of Churachandpur, which included locking the district transport office in protest over staffing issues and lack of local accessibility. Despite media coverage and a press release from the Club in May 2025, they claimed that no concrete action had been taken by authorities.
The memorandum urged the Governor to direct the department to restore the option of physical cards in the interest of public convenience and to ensure smooth functioning of the Churachandpur transport office. The Club also referred to reports in Imphal Times, Sangai Express, and People’s Chronicle highlighting public resentment over the mandatory digitisation move.
The memorandum was signed by Tuanmuanson Vualnam, President, and Lienminlal Gangte, General Secretary of the Lamka Consumers’ Club. Copies were also sent to the Transport Secretary and Deputy Commissioner of Churachandpur.